Transportation and Material Moving Jobs: Every Major Occupation’s Pay, Ranked (May 2025 BLS Data)
- The median annual wage for transportation and material moving occupations was $44,350 in May 2025, below the $50,980 median for all U.S. jobs.
- The group employed about 13,677,150 people nationwide.
- Its best-paid occupation with at least 10,000 jobs was airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers ($232,140); the lowest-paid was parking attendants ($35,150).
BLS sorts every job in the country into 22 major occupational groups. This one, “Transportation and Material Moving Occupations” (SOC 53-0000), covers the occupations below. All pay and job counts come from the BLS OEWS national data, May 2025; the typical entry education for each job comes from BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35. Use the tables to see where your job sits in its field and which nearby jobs pay more.
Highest-paying jobs in the group
Occupations with at least 10,000 U.S. jobs, ranked by median annual wage:
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Hourly median | U.S. jobs | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $232,140 | annual only* | 103,560 | Bachelor's degree |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $148,080 | $71.19 | 22,510 | Associate's degree |
| Commercial Pilots | $123,220 | annual only* | 47,630 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | $92,460 | $44.45 | 36,850 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Transportation Inspectors | $92,100 | $44.28 | 24,500 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Subway and Streetcar Operators | $86,380 | $41.53 | 10,200 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Locomotive Engineers | $81,410 | $39.14 | 33,470 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | $78,000 | $37.50 | 46,440 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Wellhead Pumpers | $69,960 | $33.63 | 17,990 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | $68,840 | $33.10 | 12,400 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Crane and Tower Operators | $68,080 | $32.73 | 42,890 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Flight Attendants | $63,580 | annual only* | 131,650 | High school diploma or equivalent |
* The OEWS program releases only annual wages for some occupations that typically work fewer than 2,080 hours per year but are paid on an annual basis, such as teachers, pilots, and athletes (BLS OEWS field descriptions, May 2025 data file).
Lowest-paying jobs in the group
| Occupation | Median annual wage | U.S. jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Parking Attendants | $35,150 | 137,880 |
| Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | $35,450 | 12,630 |
| Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants | $35,670 | 102,010 |
| Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment | $35,830 | 380,430 |
| Packers and Packagers, Hand | $36,280 | 559,820 |
The most common jobs in the group
These are the occupations most people in this field actually hold:
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,950,280 | $31,270 | $40,240 | $55,140 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,833,810 | $30,110 | $37,330 | $49,260 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2,062,040 | $40,140 | $58,640 | $79,380 |
| Light Truck Drivers | 983,300 | $30,800 | $44,860 | $80,310 |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 774,420 | $36,840 | $46,420 | $62,520 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | 623,640 | $43,360 | $62,890 | $96,150 |
| Packers and Packagers, Hand | 559,820 | $27,890 | $36,280 | $47,100 |
| Driver/Sales Workers | 409,180 | $22,590 | $38,770 | $59,980 |
Where transportation and material moving jobs pay the most
States with the highest median wage for the whole group (BLS OEWS state data, May 2025):
| State | Group median wage | Jobs in the group |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $50,500 | 298,930 |
| Alaska | $50,150 | 30,520 |
| District of Columbia | $49,460 | 18,490 |
| North Dakota | $49,190 | 42,960 |
| Hawaii | $47,940 | 50,310 |
The lowest group medians were in West Virginia ($37,210), Oklahoma ($37,750), Mississippi ($37,940). Part of the gap reflects living costs and part reflects which jobs in the group are common in each state.
No bachelor’s degree? The best-paid job in this group with a typical entry requirement below a four-year degree was air traffic controllers, at a median of $148,080 (associate's degree typically needed).
How to use this for a raise or a move
- Benchmark inside your field. Find your occupation in the tables and compare your pay with its median and with the 10th and 90th percentiles.
- Look one step over. The best-paid jobs in a group often use the same skills as the common ones. A certificate or license can move you up a row.
- Location matters. The state table shows how much the same kind of work pays in different places.
- Base pay only. OEWS wages exclude overtime, tips and most bonuses.
Published October 29, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point: the state where transportation and material moving jobs make up the largest share of local employment is Kentucky, with a location quotient of 1.28 (225,530 jobs at a group median of $44,450). A location quotient above 1 means the group is a bigger share of the state’s jobs than it is nationally. Source: BLS OEWS state data, May 2025; location quotients are explained in the BLS OEWS overview.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk